USPTO Examiner SANTIAGO MERCED FRANCIS Z - Art Unit 3683

Recent Applications

Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.

Application NumberTitleFiling DateDisposal DateDispositionTime (months)Office ActionsRestrictionsInterviewAppeal
17123552DYNAMIC CHARGING DEMAND SIDE RESPONSE METHOD AND DYNAMIC CHARGING DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT METHOD BASED ON CONSUMER ORDER, AND DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING THE METHODSDecember 2020July 2024Abandon4330NoNo
17058047CYBERSECURITY QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS SOFTWARE AS A SERVICENovember 2020January 2024Abandon3810NoNo
17080918Methods and Systems for Vendor Selection for Enterprise Resource Planning SystemsOctober 2020March 2023Abandon2920NoYes
17071450INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHODOctober 2020March 2023Abandon2910NoNo
17031933DEVICE, METHOD AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM FOR ANALYZING CUSTOMER ATTRIBUTE INFORMATIONSeptember 2020June 2022Abandon2010NoNo
16994316CANNABIS RISK COMPLIANCE AND EXCHANGE PLATFORMAugust 2020November 2023Abandon3940YesNo
16993642SYSTEM AND METHOD TO PROVIDE WARRANTY FOR A UTILITY EQUIPMENTAugust 2020August 2022Abandon2420NoNo
16966864METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR GENERATING PREFERENTIAL INFORMATION ACCORDING TO RECIPE TASKJuly 2020August 2023Abandon3750NoNo
16935888CUSTOMIZED SCHEDULES USING REAL-TIME USER PROVIDED DATAJuly 2020June 2024Abandon4660YesNo
16876774System and Method to Recommend a Service ProviderMay 2020August 2023Allow3830YesNo
16860278RULE PRESENTATION METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND RULE PRESENTATION APPARATUSApril 2020December 2023Abandon4330NoNo
16814449SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TECHNOLOGY RECOMMENDATIONSMarch 2020September 2023Abandon4340NoNo
16640734INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHODFebruary 2020March 2023Abandon3740NoNo
16790235APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RESOURCE ALLOCATION PREDICTION AND MODELING, AND RESOURCE ACQUISITION OFFER GENERATION, ADJUSTMENT AND APPROVALFebruary 2020October 2023Allow4440YesYes
16745958TASK MAP PROVIDING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOFJanuary 2020December 2022Allow3540YesNo
16625848ACTIVITY RECORDING DEVICE, ACTIVITY RECORDING PROGRAM, AND ACTIVITY RECORDING METHODDecember 2019September 2021Allow2110NoNo
16711934APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING FASHION COORDINATION KNOWLEDGE BASED ON NEURAL NETWORK HAVING EXPLICIT MEMORYDecember 2019December 2023Abandon4830NoNo
16658979Price-Based User Feedback SystemOctober 2019July 2022Abandon3320NoNo
16494138METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DYNAMICALLY IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF SECURITY SCREENINGSeptember 2019July 2024Abandon5840YesNo
16561980NEUROLOGICAL PROFILES FOR MARKET MATCHING AND STIMULUS PRESENTATIONSeptember 2019March 2023Allow4220YesNo
16479683System for Interest-Aligned Educational Degree PlanningJuly 2019June 2022Abandon3510NoNo
16513784METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY BREACH MEASUREMENTJuly 2019June 2022Abandon3520NoNo
16443238SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR QUEUE LOOK AHEAD TO OPTIMIZE AGENT ASSIGNMENT AND UTILIZATIONJune 2019August 2022Allow3830YesNo
16443211SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR QUEUE LOOK AHEAD TO OPTIMIZE WORK ASSIGNMENT TO AVAILABLE AGENTSJune 2019August 2022Allow3830YesNo
16419495Systems and Methods of Assessing Viability of Real Estate EntitiesMay 2019November 2023Allow5460YesYes
16418417INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, PARTS SELECTION METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUMMay 2019November 2022Abandon4240NoNo
16416883APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RESOURCE ALLOCATION PREDICTION AND MODELING, AND RESOURCE ACQUISITION OFFER GENERATION, ADJUSTMENT AND APPROVALMay 2019November 2023Allow5440YesNo
16364090ISSUE AND TRIGGER REBALANCING IN A RANKED ISSUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMMarch 2019November 2023Allow5630YesNo
16275195UTILIZING A MACHINE LEARNING MODEL AND NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING TO MANAGE AND ALLOCATE TASKSFebruary 2019September 2021Allow3130YesNo
16322472SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CALCULATING REACH WITH THE CONVERGENCE OF MULTIPLE PANEL UNIVERSESJanuary 2019August 2022Abandon4220YesNo
16250744ELASTIC DISTRIBUTION QUEUING OF MASS DATA FOR THE USE IN DIRECTOR DRIVEN COMPANY ASSESSMENTJanuary 2019June 2023Abandon5350YesNo
16250922TECHNOLOGY APPLYING A DEPENDENCY GRAPH TO GENERATE AN UPDATED TEACHING PLAN BASED ON UNEXPECTED EVENTSJanuary 2019January 2022Abandon3620YesNo
16250660POST-PURCHASE PRODUCT INTERACTIONJanuary 2019November 2023Abandon5840YesNo
16250739System and Methods for Assessing and Analyzing Security Risk of a Physical InfrastructureJanuary 2019March 2021Abandon2610NoNo
16249709EFFICIENT ANALYSIS OF USER-RELATED DATA FOR DETERMINING USAGE OF ENTERPRISE RESOURCE SYSTEMSJanuary 2019March 2022Allow3830YesYes
16309466INTELLIGENT REGULATION SYSTEM FOR ASSET MANAGEMENTDecember 2018March 2022Abandon3920NoNo
16176225METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DYNAMICALLY AVOIDING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONAL INCIDENTS IN A BUSINESS PROCESSOctober 2018August 2022Abandon4540NoNo
16173020DATA ANALYSIS SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING MANUFACTURING DEFECTS BASED ON KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORSOctober 2018September 2021Allow3430YesNo
16168288Machine Learning-Based Generation of Target SegmentsOctober 2018September 2022Allow4740YesYes
16168409SYSTEM AND METHOD TO IDENTIFY RELATIVE AVAILABILITY FOR A PRE-DETERMINED TEAMOctober 2018April 2022Abandon4230YesYes
16166540PRODUCTION ALLOCATION DETERMINING APPARATUS AND PRODUCTION ALLOCATION DETERMINING METHODOctober 2018June 2021Abandon3220YesNo
16010914SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONJune 2018November 2020Abandon2910NoNo
16011256CONTEXTUAL TRIGGER-BASED TEMPORARY ADVISOR MATCHING SYSTEM AND METHODJune 2018April 2023Abandon5870YesNo
16009984SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HYBRID CLOUD-EDGE COMPUTING METHOD FOR AUTOMATED DECISION MAKING AND PROBABILISTIC OCCURRENCEJune 2018January 2022Abandon4340NoNo
16009871POINT-OF-SALE TERMINAL WITH QUESTIONNAIRE FUNCTIONJune 2018December 2021Abandon4230NoNo
15967799DYNAMIC MARKETING AND PRICING SYSTEM FOR SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIESMay 2018August 2021Abandon3920NoNo
15967839MARKETING CONTENT SELECTION AND EXECUTION SYSTEM WITH MULTIVARIATE TESTINGMay 2018September 2021Abandon4020NoNo
15968199MODEL VALIDATION OF CREDIT RISKMay 2018May 2022Allow4940YesYes
15968352System and Method of Segmented Modelling for Campaign Planning in a Very Large-Scale Supply Chain NetworkMay 2018August 2023Allow6060NoNo
15966310POST-MERGER/ACQUISITION INTEGRATION OF SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES USING A COMPARISON, RECOMMENDATION AND MIGRATION TOOLApril 2018December 2022Abandon5660YesNo
15966555SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DATABASE ARCHITECTURE FOR ELECTRONIC DATA OPTIMIZATION AND MANAGEMENTApril 2018March 2021Allow3420YesNo
15882585METHOD OF GENERATING A TASK PLAN, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMJanuary 2018September 2020Abandon3210NoNo
15876591INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMJanuary 2018March 2021Abandon3820YesNo
15876554SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING AND MITIGATING JOB-RELATED STRESS FOR AGENTS USING A COMPUTER SYSTEM IN A CUSTOMER SERVICE COMPUTER NETWORKJanuary 2018February 2021Abandon3720NoNo
15875851METHOD OF CREATING A TASK PLAN, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMJanuary 2018August 2021Abandon4340NoNo
15874402DISRUPTION CONTROL IN COMPLEX SCHEDULESJanuary 2018May 2023Abandon6080YesNo
15864850SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL-TIME SCHEDULING REALLOCATIONJanuary 2018January 2023Allow6050YesYes
15834790Live Event Ticket Pricing Engine and ServicesDecember 2017July 2022Abandon5560YesNo
15834562COGNITIVE COMPATIBILITY MAPPINGDecember 2017April 2022Abandon5360YesNo
15834453COGNITIVE TASK ASSIGNMENT FOR COMPUTER SECURITY OPERATIONSDecember 2017September 2021Abandon4540NoNo
15683368SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REAL-TIME PREDICTIVE SCHEDULINGAugust 2017December 2022Allow6080YesYes
15683764SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR OPTIMIZED EXECUTION IN A VALUE CHAIN NETWORKAugust 2017October 2022Abandon6050YesNo
15653383TASK EXECUTION SUPPORT DEVICE, TASK EXECUTION SUPPORT SYSTEM, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMJuly 2017January 2021Abandon4250NoNo
15609565FLASH RETAILINGMay 2017July 2022Abandon6050YesNo
15477413INTERFACE FOR MODELING CONFIGURABLE PRODUCTSApril 2017May 2021Allow5050YesNo
15446056DEVICE FOR SCOUTING A CONSTRUCTION SITE FOR CONSTRUCTION DEVICE DEPLOYMENTMarch 2017February 2022Allow6060YesNo
15447004REAL-TIME MONITORING OF TERRESTRIAL LOGISTICS NETWORKSMarch 2017April 2021Abandon4940YesNo
15446605AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS OF A TECHNICAL CAPABILITYMarch 2017December 2020Abandon4540YesNo
14955815MULTINODE DISTRIBUTED INTEGRITY OF PRODUCING FILESDecember 2015May 2022Allow6080YesNo

Appeals Overview

This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z.

Strategic Value of Filing an Appeal

Total Appeal Filings
9
Allowed After Appeal Filing
4
(44.4%)
Not Allowed After Appeal Filing
5
(55.6%)
Filing Benefit Percentile
73.3%
Higher than average

Understanding Appeal Filing Strategy

Filing a Notice of Appeal can sometimes lead to allowance even before the appeal is fully briefed or decided by the PTAB. This occurs when the examiner or their supervisor reconsiders the rejection during the mandatory appeal conference (MPEP § 1207.01) after the appeal is filed.

In this dataset, 44.4% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is above the USPTO average, suggesting that filing an appeal can be an effective strategy for prompting reconsideration.

Strategic Recommendations

Filing a Notice of Appeal is strategically valuable. The act of filing often prompts favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.

Examiner SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z - Prosecution Strategy Guide

Executive Summary

Examiner SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z works in Art Unit 3683 and has examined 69 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 31.9%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 42 months.

Allowance Patterns

Examiner SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z's allowance rate of 31.9% places them in the 5% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is less likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.

Office Action Patterns

On average, applications examined by SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z receive 3.59 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 93% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues more office actions than most examiners, which may indicate thorough examination or difficulty in reaching agreement with applicants.

Prosecution Timeline

The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z is 42 months. This places the examiner in the 20% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications take longer to reach final disposition with this examiner compared to most others.

Interview Effectiveness

Conducting an examiner interview provides a +44.6% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by SANTIAGO-MERCED, FRANCIS Z. This interview benefit is in the 89% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner and should be strongly considered as a prosecution strategy. Per MPEP § 713.10, interviews are available at any time before the Notice of Allowance is mailed or jurisdiction transfers to the PTAB.

Request for Continued Examination (RCE) Effectiveness

When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 9.4% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 6% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show lower effectiveness with this examiner compared to others. Consider whether a continuation application might be more strategic, especially if you need to add new matter or significantly broaden claims.

After-Final Amendment Practice

This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 8.8% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 10% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner rarely enters after-final amendments compared to other examiners. You should generally plan to file an RCE or appeal rather than relying on after-final amendment entry. Per MPEP § 714.12, primary examiners have discretion in entering after-final amendments, and this examiner exercises that discretion conservatively.

Pre-Appeal Conference Effectiveness

When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 120.0% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 83% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences are highly effective with this examiner compared to others. Before filing a full appeal brief, strongly consider requesting a PAC. The PAC provides an opportunity for the examiner and supervisory personnel to reconsider the rejection before the case proceeds to the PTAB.

Appeal Withdrawal and Reconsideration

This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 100.0% of appeals filed. This is in the 98% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 62.5% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner frequently reconsiders rejections during the appeal process compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1207.01, all appeals must go through a mandatory appeal conference. Filing a Notice of Appeal may prompt favorable reconsideration even before you file an Appeal Brief.

Petition Practice

When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 100.0% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 93% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions are frequently granted regarding this examiner's actions compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1002.02(c), various examiner actions are petitionable to the Technology Center Director, including prematureness of final rejection, refusal to enter amendments, and requirement for information. If you believe an examiner action is improper, consider filing a petition.

Examiner Cooperation and Flexibility

Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 38% percentile). This examiner makes examiner's amendments less often than average. You may need to make most claim amendments yourself.

Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 44% percentile). This examiner issues Quayle actions less often than average. Allowances may come directly without a separate action for formal matters.

Prosecution Strategy Recommendations

Based on the statistical analysis of this examiner's prosecution patterns, here are tailored strategic recommendations:

  • Prepare for rigorous examination: With a below-average allowance rate, ensure your application has strong written description and enablement support. Consider filing a continuation if you need to add new matter.
  • Expect multiple rounds of prosecution: This examiner issues more office actions than average. Address potential issues proactively in your initial response and consider requesting an interview early in prosecution.
  • Prioritize examiner interviews: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner. Request an interview after the first office action to clarify issues and potentially expedite allowance.
  • Plan for RCE after final rejection: This examiner rarely enters after-final amendments. Budget for an RCE in your prosecution strategy if you receive a final rejection.
  • Request pre-appeal conferences: PACs are highly effective with this examiner. Before filing a full appeal brief, request a PAC to potentially resolve issues without full PTAB review.
  • Appeal filing as negotiation tool: This examiner frequently reconsiders rejections during the appeal process. Filing a Notice of Appeal may prompt favorable reconsideration during the mandatory appeal conference.
  • Plan for extended prosecution: Applications take longer than average with this examiner. Factor this into your continuation strategy and client communications.

Relevant MPEP Sections for Prosecution Strategy

  • MPEP § 713.10: Examiner interviews - available before Notice of Allowance or transfer to PTAB
  • MPEP § 714.12: After-final amendments - may be entered "under justifiable circumstances"
  • MPEP § 1002.02(c): Petitionable matters to Technology Center Director
  • MPEP § 1004: Actions requiring primary examiner signature (allowances, final rejections, examiner's answers)
  • MPEP § 1207.01: Appeal conferences - mandatory for all appeals
  • MPEP § 1214.07: Reopening prosecution after appeal

Important Disclaimer

Not Legal Advice: The information provided in this report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with a qualified patent attorney or agent for advice specific to your situation.

No Guarantees: We do not provide any guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the statistics presented above. Patent prosecution statistics are derived from publicly available USPTO data and are subject to data quality limitations, processing errors, and changes in USPTO practices over time.

Limitation of Liability: Under no circumstances will IronCrow AI be liable for any outcome, decision, or action resulting from your reliance on the statistics, analysis, or recommendations presented in this report. Past prosecution patterns do not guarantee future results.

Use at Your Own Risk: While we strive to provide accurate and useful prosecution statistics, you should independently verify any information that is material to your prosecution strategy and use your professional judgment in all patent prosecution matters.